Speech Therapy

Speech-language pathology can help children learn to speak and communicate clearly. We use communication skills every day. Learning how to communicate effectively means your child speaks and listens in a way that can have a significant impact on their life, now and in the future.

Speech-language pathology is about enhancing your child’s communication skills so they can fully participate in everyday life. Every child is different, and the goals will depend on their individual needs. Some aims of speech-language pathology involve working on:

• Literacy skills – reading, writing, and spelling

• Language development – understanding and speaking

• Voice control – quality, volume, tone, pitch and awareness of voice

• Speech development – clarity, articulation, stuttering, dyspraxia

• Cognitive communication skills – problem solving and imagination

• Practical language and social skills – making friends, social interactions

• Feeding and swallowing issues – difficulty coordinating sucking and swallowing, limited food choices etc.

Speech therapy for children covers a lot of areas. There are a number of signs which could indicate your child may benefit from speech therapy. These include:

•Difficulties reading or writing, making up words, skipping words, mispronouncing, dislikes reading

•Echoing language, repeating back rather than answering a question

•Difficulties in the classroom listening and completing tasks

•Withdrawal from social situations and making friends

•Difficulties with using the correct grammar or words in a sentence and being understood

•Frustration and difficulties expressing themselves

•Difficulties with speech development, articulation, stuttering or dyspraxia

•Attention or concentration difficulties

•Difficulties with voice quality, loudness, and awareness

•Unable to follow directions

•Behavioural problems

•Difficulties eating and swallowing

•Not eating a wide variety of foods and drinks